QUAERITUR: Spanish biretta

24 Responses to QUAERITUR: Spanish biretta

1. mcitl says:

   5 October 2008 at 7:54 am

   And why, pray tell, do you WANT one of those?

   Is that a Roman style? Is the more familiar “fin” style a vestigial version of the beretta pictured here or vice versa?

   Buona Domenica!
2. Gorgasal says:

   5 October 2008 at 8:28 am

   The picture has a watermark: http://www.dieter-philippi.de/

   Mr. Philippi collects ecclesiastical headgear. There’s a contact form here: http://www.dieter-philippi.de/mydante_1600.html

   Why don’t you just contact him? The german fields should be clear enough, at least the necessary ones.
3. Nick says:

   5 October 2008 at 9:58 am

   The biretta appears to be in the Spanish style. The Archdiocese of Toledo should be able to assist.
4. ckdexterhaven says:

   5 October 2008 at 10:14 am

   You could go out in the woods and try to find a black and white porcupine….
5. Emilio III says:

   5 October 2008 at 10:25 am

   I don’t know where to find one, but would just like to comment that it is almost certainly black rather than gray.
6. Little Black Sambo says:

   5 October 2008 at 11:59 am

   Is it associated with some particular university or college? – in which case you might not be entitled to wear it.
7. Little Black Sambo says:

   5 October 2008 at 12:00 pm

   Is is associated with a particular university or college? – in which case you might not be entitled to wear it.
8. Julian Large says:

   5 October 2008 at 12:28 pm

   I got one a few years ago from a shop called “Uniforms of Madrid”, in Madrid
9. Fr Ray Blake says:

   5 October 2008 at 1:11 pm

   Toledo used to have a good men’s hat shop, but I think it has closed.

   There is a shop near the Cathedral in Madrid, which sells military and ecclesiastical uniforms, that’s your best bet, can’t remember its name.

   But why do you want one? Does a non-Spaniard have a right/rite to it.

   A local Anglican Church here in Brighton used to wear the Spanish birreta, for Spanish saints.
10. Fr. BJ says:

    5 October 2008 at 1:36 pm

    The Mexicans have a funny name for this kind of biretta, which I guess was common at one point there (naturally, I suppose). It has something to do with the kind of bonnet that women who worked with chili peppers wore. It’s funny in Spanish but I can’t remember it now.

    When I suggested to some folks in my hispanic community here that I might wear my cassock and biretta some time, or my black chasuble for All Souls Day, they looked at me like I had three heads! They were more shocked than a lot of Americans are about that kind of stuff. Too bad. I can’t wait to see how they respond should I ever decide to wear them! I’ll have to teach about it some, I suppose.
11. Michael Fudge says:

    5 October 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Here is a picture of a child’s Mass playset with the Biretta.

    Child’s Mass Set
12. Michael Fudge says:

    5 October 2008 at 2:08 pm

    Well, the link didn’t really work. So here it is again:

    http://www.angelfire.com/space/france/images/2003/figueres/toymus.jpg
13. José L. says:

    5 October 2008 at 3:09 pm

    Hello, sorry for my bad English. This Spanish biretta is named BONETE FOR PRIESTS.

    I know two shops:

    CASA YUSTAS.
    Plaza Mayor, 30. 28012 Madrid, Spain.
    Phone (Spain): 91 366 50 84.
    Web: http://www2.casayustas.com/

    SOMBREROS CURA ARGÜESO.
    Plaza Corrillo, 11. 37002 Salamanca, Spain.
    Phone 923 266 783.
    Web: http://www.sombrereria.net/

    There is not pics from the “bonete” in this webs, but they make them on order.
    Best regards from Una Voce Málaga, Spain.
14. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf says:

    5 October 2008 at 3:19 pm

    Interesting information! Would that amazon had it in their database!
15. RichR says:

    5 October 2008 at 4:38 pm

    This looks like it’d be hard to hold compared to a regular biretta. I bet it’d get used a couple of times and then get lost in the sacristy closet.
16. Manrique Zabala de Arízona says:

    5 October 2008 at 4:48 pm

    José, you never cease to amaze me. He’s packed with information.

    José, nunca dejas de asombrarme. Tienes toda la información…

    :o
17. josephus muris saliensis says:

    5 October 2008 at 5:36 pm

    there are several such spanish bonete (in private ownership) in London. Ask long enough, Father, and someone might give you one!
18. José L. says:

    5 October 2008 at 6:24 pm

    Gracias, Manrique.
    Thanks !
19. Tina in Ashburn says:

    5 October 2008 at 7:43 pm

    Hope your grip is good. This biretta looks mighty slippery.
20. Tom says:

    5 October 2008 at 9:27 pm

    I tried Casa Yusta, and the one they had was not very well made (I thought).

    I have been on a mission for this for a priest friend for a couple of years. Perhaps the other hatshop or the suggestion of the Archdiocese of Toledo would be good ideas.
21. JBD says:

    5 October 2008 at 9:37 pm

    I believe Gammarelli carries them. I know an English priest who bought his Spanish biretta from them. If not,
    1. simply bake a chocolate souffle, after thirty minutes baking time, check if done and slam the oven door very, very hard, and very, very loud!

    2. attach pom-pon.
22. Janet says:

    6 October 2008 at 5:53 pm

    I can’t resist this any longer: the first moment I looked at this biretta, I thought I was seeing a Tribble sitting on some futuristic looking chair out of Star Trek. And almost fell out of my own chair laughing.
    Forgive me Fr. Z….
23. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf says:

    6 October 2008 at 10:47 pm

    Janet: That is actually pretty funny!
24. Father John Trigilio says:

    7 October 2008 at 8:12 am

    Probably one needs to have the same color of hair in order to wear one of those (gray) birettas ;-)